Method of forming wrought-metal bands.



Patent ed July 17,1900.

J. BRAY. METHOD OFFORMING WBOUGHT METAL BANDS.

(Application mad Jan. 18, 1900.

(No Model.)

fi (Z7 P NITED STATES PATE T OFFICE.

THOMAS J. BRAY, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE NATIONALTUBE COMPANY,OF NEW YORK, N. Y., AND MOKEES- PORT, PENNSYLVANIA.

METHOD OF FORMING wROUGHT-METAL BANDS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 653,903, dated uly 17,1900.

Application filed January 18, 1900. Serial No. 1,853. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS J. BRAY, a resident of Pittsburg, in thecounty of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Methods of Forming WVrought-Metal Bands, and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear,

and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to the manufacture of tubular bands, these bandsbeing especially useful as thread-protectors for pipes and bars, itsobject being to provide a simple way of producing thread-protectors orlike bands, parts of which extend inwardly beyond the main bodies in theform of ribs, while the edges are welded together as distinguished frombeing mechanically connected. These threadprotectors are placed over theends of pipes, heavy bolts, 850., to protect the screw-threads when intransit, and there are two or three important requirements in connectionwith them. First, as the tubing is shipped in different directions andoften for long distances it is practically impossible to return theprotectors to the tubeworks, so that they must be made sufficientlycheap to be thrown away after use; second, they must be rigidlyconnected together, so as to overcome any liability of their springingapart and leaving the threads unprotected during shipment, and, third, aportion of the protector-body must engage with the screw-threads in suchway as to prevent injury thereto, though it is not necessary ordesirable that the protector should engage with the threads for theentire length of the protector, as this would add to the cost ofthreading and somewhat to the cost of applying. As large pipes aresubjected to especially-heavy strains and blows in shipment, it isimportant to have such protectors formed with the ends welded together;and the object of the present invention is to provide for the making ofsuch welded rings in a cheap and expeditious manner by producing suchwelded bands with inwardlyprojecting ribs, which may be threaded toengage with the threads of the pipes.

To these general ends I form a bar or blank having longitudinal ribs onone face and bend this blank into tubular form with the ribs on theinner face and then weld the meeting ends of these ribs around anordinary mandrel and strip the blank longitudinally from the mandrel. Inorder to produce a number of such bands at one time, 1 form the bar witha number of such alternating depressions and ribs on one side and bendit into tubular form with the'ribs on the inner face and weld themeeting ends of the ribs and separate the blank during the rollingoperation into a numher of connected or disconnected rings, and Iseparate the blanks so produced in the subsequent threading operation.In'the blanks as so produced it is not essential that the edges of thebodies of the blank should be welded,

the only essential beingthat the rib portions should be so welded.

To enable others skilled in the art to, practice my invention, I willdescribe the same more fully, referring to the accompanying 7o adetailed view illustrating the threading of the finished bands.

In the regular rolling of the metal preparatory to cutting into blanksfor formingthe bands I prefer to roll" bars of the section illustratedin Fig. 1,'Which provide for the formation of a number ofthread-protectors or like bands at one time. For example, the bar hasthe ribs 1 separated by the comparatively-wide depressions 2, theupperor outer face of the barbeing eitherplain or having 0 slight grooves 3formed therein at the points where the bands are to be subsequentlyseparated into couplings, though, as described in the application ofDavid Heggie for method of forming ringsand couplings, filed Octoher 14,1899, Serial No. 733,595, these depressions may be rolled in the blanksin process of welding. It will be noticed that in the blanks as cut fromthe bar they are made up of a series of thick and-thin portions, and themo Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of 75 object is to form from thisbar a welded blank or series of blanks having inwardlyprojecting ribs,as at 4, separated by depressions 5, so that when used forthread-protectors or for like purposes it will only be necessary tothread the faces 4, leaving the recesses 5 blank, the cost of thethreading operation and the wear on the threadingdies being thus verymaterially reduced. The blanks can be welded into ring or band form onany suitable machine, that illustrated in the drawings being awelding-machine providing for the welding of the blanks around a centralmadrel 6 by means of a cluster of welding-rolls '7, such rolls beingillustrated in said Heggie application above referred to and thespecific form of rolls being illustrated in application for patent filedbyLavoo and Bray on the 31st day of October, 1899, Serial No. 735,362,so that they do not need any extended description. It is preferred'toform a number of such bands at one time, and for that purpose while themandrel 6is plain-faced and necessarily so, for the. reason hereinafterdescribed, the cluster of rolls is provided with ribs 8, serving tofinish the end portions of the difierent bands, and, vif desired, todivide the bar or blank into a number of such separate rings in therolling operation. It is preferred, however, that the rings willbeformed with slight connecting-webs, as shown at 9, in which case theyare separated in the threading operation, which is illustrated in Fig. 7the threading-tap 10 while threading the ribs 4t cutting through suchthin web 9 and separating the bands from each other, as fully describedin said Heggie application.

In the making of bands the blanks are cut from the bar, as indicated inFig. 1, and they are then placed in a furnace and heated to a weldingheat. They are then fed to the welding-machine with the ribs 1 in suchposition as to be. brought on the inner face of the welded band, and thewelding-rolls by working upon such ribs or thickened portions of theblank weld the same together, though the recesses 5 in the finishedblank formed by the recesses 2 in the bar are not brought into contactwith the plain face of the mandrel 6, and ,the, only positive weldingpressure is brought upon the rib portions of the bar or blank. In thisway the bar can be formed with less pressure and less power than if itwere attempted to weld the bar for its entire width, as only suchwelding pressure need be exerted as is necessary to weld together therib portions 1, so as to form the thickened inwardly-projecting ribportions 4 ofthe finished blank. As the thin walls 11 between the.recesses 2 and the outer faces of the blanks are brought to a weldingheat the edges of such thin portions may stick together and form aninitial weld; but it is not necessary for the production of sucharticlesas thread-protectors, the only essential being that the thickrib portions shall be properly welded. It therefore. often occurs thatwhile the rib portions are welded the thin portions of the bands are notwelded, and this is illustrated in the accompanying drawings by the line12, indicating the meet-' ing but unwelded edges of therblank. The blankas so produced upon the mandrel'is withdrawnfrom the welding-machine,and though it is formed with the inner recesses 5, above referred to, asit is formed upon a plainfaced mandrel, it can be stripped therefrom,producing a finished blank, such as shown in ,Figs. 2 and 3, and, if itis desired, producing a series of separate rings, which is indicated bythe dotted lines 13 in Fig. 3. After the blanks have cooled it is onlynecessary to thread them to produce the finished threadprotectors, andon account ofthe wide re+ cesses in the inner faces of the blanks suchthreading operation is very materially cheapened and quickened, and ifthe blanks are connected together by the. thin webs 91they can beseparated during the threading open o ation, as above referred to. Inthis way exi ceedingly light and cheap thread-protectors. are produced,which are, however, as. stifias necessary on account of the thick ribportions and which have positively-welded ledgesg 5 as distinguishedfrom mere mechanically-com nected portions, the blanks being furtherdisitinguished in the fact that the threaded por. tions are thus positivelywelded or connected. instead of the portions between the threaded) wefaces. Each blank is formed with. one. or. more inwardly-projectingribs, according .to. the width of the protector or the special duty tobe performed' What I claim is 1. The improvement in the art of .making,thread-protectors and like bands, which. con-: sists in forming blankshaving. longitudinal. ribs on one face, bending said blank into ,tu.-:bular form with the ribs on the inner face no and welding the meetingends of the ribs.

2. The improvement in the art-of making. thread-protectors, whichconsists in forming.

a blank having a plurality of longitudinal recesses separated by ribs onone side, bend-Z ing said blank into tubular form with the. ribs on theinner face, and welding the meet-g. ing ends of the ribs and shapingtheendssof several rings by forming depressions opposite to said ribs.

3. The improvement in the art of. making. thread-protectors, whichconsists in forming. a blank having a plurality of longitudinal.recesses separated by ribs on one side, bend.- ing said blank intotubular form with the 12 5 ribs on the inner face, and weldingthe.meeting ends of the ribs and shaping the ends of.v several rings byforming depressions opposite to said ribs, stripping the blank from the.mandrel and subsequently threading the same. I 0 and thereby separatingthe bands from each other.

4. The improvement in the art of. making.v thread-protectors, whichconsists in forming bending said blank into tubular form with the ribson the inner face, and then Welding the meeting ends of the ribs orthick portions only.

In testimony whereof I, the said THOMAS J. BRAY, have hereunto set myhand.

THOMAS J. BRAY.

WVitnesses:

GRACE O. RAYMOND, ROBERT C. TOTTEN.

